Breakdown of Estávamos a ensaiar no estúdio para eles gravarem outro vídeo.
eles
they (m)
estar
to be (temporary / location)
em
in / on / at
para
to / for
outro
other
o vídeo
the video
o estúdio
the studio
ensaiar
to rehearse
gravar
to shoot
Questions & Answers about Estávamos a ensaiar no estúdio para eles gravarem outro vídeo.
Why do we use the infinitive gravarem here instead of the subjunctive?
The word para (for) is a preposition, and prepositions are followed by infinitive verbs. Because the subject changes from "we" (estávamos) to "they" (eles), we use the personal infinitive (gravarem) to show exactly who is doing the shooting. If we had used the conjunction para que (so that) instead of para, we would have needed the subjunctive: para que eles gravassem.
Why does the subject eles come between para and the verb gravarem?
When using the personal infinitive after a preposition like para, the subject sits right before the verb. It mirrors the English structure perfectly: para (for) + eles (them) + gravarem (to shoot).
English says "another video", so why isn't it um outro vídeo?
In English, "another" is a combination of "an" + "other". But in Portuguese, the word outro (or outra) means "another" all on its own. Adding um sounds repetitive, like saying "an another" in English, so it is best to just say outro vídeo.
Why is estávamos in the imperfect tense here?
The imperfect tense is used for ongoing, background actions in the past. The phrase estar a followed by an infinitive creates the continuous tense in European Portuguese. Therefore, estávamos a ensaiar translates directly to the past continuous "We were rehearsing", setting the scene of an action that was actively in progress.
Learn Estávamos a ensaiar no estúdio para eles gravarem outro vídeo and more in Portuguese
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free